Adjustable seat back for automobiles



Aug.21,1928. y 1,681,643

R. M. KMBRO ADJUSTABLE SEAT BACK FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed oct. 2o, 192e llllmlsillllmllll1 mlnssQm I liluummuvi oerfd Po.

the. occupants ot the seat, and which hinge joint, when properly manipulated,enablesV Patented Aug. 21, 1928'.

unire n stares vruoxsnirr iu. 'Kimm-1o, or cammeo, CALIFORNIA.

y ADJUSTABLE snm BACK ronnmromonmm V*Application ytiled October 2o, 1926. Serial No. 142,836.`

My invent-ion relates to an vadjustable seat back `tor automobiles and has i-or its yprincipal object the provision or" a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive hinge jointthat .terms a connection between thek seat l.frame and seat backand whicliwill permit the latter to .be readily adjustedto various inclined positions so as to suit .the individual wishes of 'the seaty back to be swung rearwardly and downwardly into the ,same horizontal plane 'with the seat body, in order to form a cushioneed support that maybe utilized as a bed.V

Further objects of my invention are to provide a hinge joint of the character reterredto .that is very compact and which occupies an out-of-the-way position between the rear side ot' the .seatfbody and the lower` end of the seat back; further, 'to provide a hinge joint that may .be very readily shifted Vfrom one position to another so as to secure proper` adjust- `ment of the supported seat back and further,

to provide an automobileseat back hinge joint Y that possesses superior advantages `in point `of simplicity, durability and general eilifciency.

With the foregoing and other objects i in view, my invent-ion consists in certain novell ,features of construction and arrangement of parts that will hereinafterbemore fully described and claimed and illustrated in theaccompanying drawingg in whichV Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of :an automobile `seat and its back and showing the same connected by an adjustable hinge joint of my improved construction. t

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view oi' that portion ot the hinge joint that is secured to the frame of the seat base.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an adjustable plate that forms a part of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 and i showing a modied arrangement of the means employed for adjusting the position of the seat back supporting member of the device.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings,Y which illustrate a practical. embodiment of my invention, 10 designates an 'automobile seat body which may be oi any desired construction and projecting rearwardly from the trame of said body adjacent to the ends thereof are blocks V11 of metal through are formed :horizontallydisposed apertures 12 that are threaded..

Formed integral with and` projecting'upwardly from each vblock 11 above the aperture 12,.are .ears 13 .that are provided with horizontally aligned perforations 14.

Depending froml the trame of the seatback l i 15 that is'associatcd with the seat 10 and jadjacent to the ends of saidseat backareshort arms 16 that arel arranged respectively between the pairs of ears 13 onl blocks 11,'and i 4said arms are hinged to saidears 13 means ofhinged pins 17 that passthrough ytie aperarms 16.` v j, le H Formed integral wit-h the outer portion Iof each block 11 and spaced apart from the ears tures14 and through aperturesjlf in said 13 are upwardly proj ectinglugs 18, thelsame being spaced apart a distance equal tothe width of the space between ears 13. Occupying the space between the` ears IBand lugs 18 on eachblock is a transversely disposed plate 19, the upper portion of whicliis cut awayto form a series of stepped shoulders 20. Formed integral with the outerendof` each responding face of block 11 and formed in vsaidplate 20 in alignmentwithat-he threaded aperture 12isan aperture 22. This aperture provides a bearingfor `the .outer portion of a bolt or short rod `23, thefgreater portion of Whichis threadedin order thatit may be .screwed through the corresponding threaded l plate and arranged at right angles thereto is a `depending plate 21that overlies the corposition in alignment `with the arms 16 and the rear ridges of the latter adjacent to their pivot points are provided with rearwardly projectinglugs 25 that are adapted torest on the stepped shoulders of the plates 19. Vhen `the plates 19 are moved inward to their limits of movement, as illustrated in Fig. 2,'t-heuppermost ones of the shoulders 20 are positioned in alignment with the arms 16 and the engagement of the lugs 25` on the uppermost shoulder firmly supports the seat back 15 in a substantially uprightfposition; j

When the stepped plates 19 are drawn outwardly by proper manipulation ot' the screw rods 2 3, so that the inner ends of said platesl l in the size, form and construction of the'vari- 19 are outside the vertical planes occupied by the arms 16, the seat back 15 may be swung downwardly into a substantially horizontal plane to cooperate with the seat body in forming a bed bottom.

Obviously by adjusting the plates 19 so as to locate the intermediate stepped shoulders in line With the arms 16,-the latter andthe seat back may be supported in various inclined or angular positions, thus providing a convenient and comfortable'reclining seat back. v

In order to provide a more rapid meansof adjusting the stepped plates'19that support the'seat baclr in different positions, the screw7 rods 23 may be dispensed with and the corru` gated legs of cotter pins 26 are adj ustably Y mounted in the apertures 12in blocks 11, and

vWhere such construction is employed, it is not necessary to thread said apertures 12. The outer portion of each corrugated Cotter pin isseated in the corresponding plate 21 and that portion of the pin that projects beyond said plate carries a knob or head such lVhere the construction just described is employed, the corrugated cotter pin is moved through the aperture in' block 11 by inwardA pressure applied to the knob27 or by an outward pull thereon, and the corrugations yin` the legs of the cotter pin engaging in the apervture 12 effectually retains the'cotter pins and `hinge is relatively simple in construction, in-

expensive of manufacture, capable of being readily manipulatedand which is very effecseat. i

tive in performing the functions` for which it is intended- It Will be understood that minor changes ous parts of my improved adjustable hinge maybe made andsubstituted for those herein shovvnand described Without departing fromy I the spirit ofmy invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claimas-m-y invention' z Y y A1. The combination with a seat andseat back, of a hinge member projecting rearwardly fromthe seata hinge member secured tothe lower portion of the seat back and pivotallyv connected to 'the iirst mentioned hinge member,l a stepped Yplate supported by and fmounted for ylateral adjustment upon the hinge member Athat projects from VVthe seat, which stepped plate underlies the hinge mem- ;be'r that' is connectedto the seat back and serves to support the samein differently adjusted positions,rand a stepped plate bearing and support -iormed onthe outer portion of the hinge Amember that projects from saidy 2.'The combination with a seat and seat back, o'a' hinge `member projecting rearwardly from'fthe seat, a hinge ymember projectingv downwardly'from the seat back and pivotally connected to fthe iirst mentioned hinge member, a member mounted for lateral adjustment` on the hinge memberV that projects rearwardly vfrom the seatfsaid adjustable member being vpositioned beneath the point of pivotal connection between the hinge members and a stepped plate carried by said adjustable member and Whichstepped plate iis supported by the hinge member that pro/- jects from theseat andoccupies a position beneaththe hinge memberthat projects from the seat back.vr l

In testimony Where of IatliX my signature..

f ROBERT M.lKiMBRo. 

